Key Points
- A five per cent decrease in carbon emissions has been recorded for the 2025/26 season at Manchester City.
- This development has been reported in the news by BusinessGreen on 21 October 2026.
- The club has characterized its climate strategy as being “determined, practical, authentic and unapologetic” as a solution to the problems caused by a changing climate.
- The club had recorded a 16 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions annually in the 2023/24 season, totaling 5,841 tonnes.
- In its reported sustainability strategy, the club has set itself the targets of becoming a CO2 net zero, which is realistic, by 2030 and reducing its emissions by an annual average of 14 per cent.
- The five per cent recorded above falls below the annual reduction average target, but the complete details have not been accessible.
Manchester (Manchester Mirror) October 21, 2026 – Manchester City has reduced its carbon emissions by five per cent during the 2025/26 season, according to reporting by BusinessGreen. The figure marks continued environmental action by the Premier League club, although it remains below the annual average reduction target set out in its sustainability strategy.
As reported by BusinessGreen, Manchester City has described its response to climate change as “determined, practical, authentic and unapologetic”, positioning the latest emissions reduction within a wider programme of sustainability work at the club.
What has Manchester City achieved?
The club’s reported five per cent cut relates to carbon emissions during the 2025/26 season. BusinessGreen published the development on 21 October 2026, identifying the reduction in its headline coverage of Manchester City’s environmental performance.
The announcement comes after Manchester City reported stronger progress in earlier sustainability reporting. In its 2024 Game Plan material, the club said CO2 emissions had fallen by 16 per cent in 2023/24, equal to 5,841 tonnes of CO2.
That earlier report also stated that Manchester City sought to reduce annual CO2 emissions by an average of 14 per cent while working towards “credible” net zero by 2030.
How does the latest reduction compare?
The newly reported five per cent reduction is a smaller annual decrease than the 16 per cent fall Manchester City reported for 2023/24.
It is also lower than the 14 per cent annual average emissions-reduction ambition referenced in the club’s published sustainability strategy. However, the accessible reporting does not provide a full emissions breakdown for 2025/26, including absolute tonnage, scope-by-scope figures, or the specific measures credited with the reduction.
Manchester City’s wider sustainability reporting has previously distinguished between different categories of emissions. The club’s 2024 Game Plan material said its overall CO2 emissions per match averaged 303.5 tonnes, while also referencing continued work across its operations and facilities.
What has the club said about climate change?
BusinessGreen reported that Manchester City has promised a “determined, practical, authentic and unapologetic” response to the “tough questions” posed by a changing climate.
The wording suggests the club is presenting its environmental programme as an ongoing operational commitment rather than a single-year achievement. The phrase was used in BusinessGreen’s coverage of the five per cent emissions reduction.
Manchester City has published annual sustainability reporting through its Game Plan series. The club’s 2024 material said it had produced such reports for 20 consecutive years, detailing targets, achievements and progress.
Why does the five per cent figure matter?
Football clubs generate emissions through stadium and training-ground energy use, travel, procurement, waste, water use and matchday operations. Manchester City’s own sustainability material identifies emissions reduction and net zero as central parts of its environmental strategy.
A five per cent reduction indicates that emissions moved in the right direction during 2025/26. However, without the full dataset from the club or BusinessGreen’s complete article, it is not possible from the available information to assess which operations drove the decrease or how the result compares with the club’s full emissions baseline.
The club’s prior reporting provides context for the scale of its environmental footprint. In 2023/24, Manchester City said it reduced overall CO2 emissions by 16 per cent, or 5,841 tonnes, while reporting an average of 303.5 tonnes of CO2 per match.
What are Manchester City’s climate targets?
Manchester City’s published Game Plan strategy states that the club is working towards credible CO2 net zero by 2030. It also says the club aims to reduce annual CO2 emissions by an average of 14 per cent.
The club’s sustainability reporting has also referred to maintaining carbon-neutral Scope 1 and Scope 2 operations. Separate coverage of Manchester City’s sustainability performance has described Scope 1 and 2 operations as carbon neutral, while noting that the club measures Scopes 1, 2 and 3.
Scope 1 generally covers direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by an organisation, while Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from purchased energy. Scope 3 covers other indirect emissions across an organisation’s value chain, which are often harder to measure and reduce.
Background of the development
Manchester City has made sustainability a visible part of its club operations through its Game Plan reporting. Its 2024 sustainability material said the club reduced CO2 emissions by 16 per cent in 2023/24, equivalent to 5,841 tonnes, and set out a net-zero target for 2030.
The club has also previously reported environmental measures across its Etihad Stadium and City Football Academy sites. Reporting by edie has described measures including combined heat and power systems, air-source heat pumps, rainwater harvesting, borehole water, LED lighting and wastewater recycling across the campus.
The latest announcement arrives amid wider climate action in Manchester. Manchester City Council says it reduced its direct emissions by 64 per cent between 2010 and 2025, saving 44,344 tonnes of carbon, while the city’s direct emissions fell by 48 per cent between 2005 and 2023.
Prediction: What this means for fans and local communities
For Manchester City supporters, the five per cent reduction is likely to reinforce the club’s public sustainability messaging, particularly among fans who follow the club’s environmental commitments and matchday operations. The result may also increase attention on whether future Game Plan reports show a return to the larger annual reductions the club has previously targeted.
For residents and businesses around east Manchester, continued emissions reduction at the Etihad Campus could support broader local efforts to lower carbon output, especially if the club provides clearer data on energy, travel and waste in future reports. Manchester’s wider climate strategy has emphasised the need for cross-sector partners to reduce their environmental impact.
For the wider football industry, the announcement adds to growing scrutiny of club sustainability performance. Manchester City’s latest figure is likely to be assessed against both its own 2030 net-zero commitment and its stated aim of achieving average annual emissions reductions of 14 per cent.
